BASEBALLCHICAGO -- Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout won the AL MVP award for the second time in three years, and Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was voted NL MVP in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.Trout batted .315 with 29 homers, 100 RBI and 30 steals. He scored 17 percent of Los Angeles runs, the highest percentage for an AL player since Rickey Henderson with the 1985 New York Yankees.A unanimous winner in 2014, Trout had finished second in three of the past four years. He becomes the first MVP from a losing team since Alex Rodriguez for Texas in 2003 and just the fifth player ever to accomplish the feat).Bryant hit .292 with 39 homers and 102 RBI in just his second year in the majors, helping the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908.NEW YORK -- Brian McCann still wanted to catch, a lot. So with his options limited in the New York Yankees lineup, the seven-time All-Star gladly accepted a new opportunity in Houston.McCann waived his no-trade clause and was sent, along with $11 million, to the Astros for a pair of young minor league pitchers.The Yankees acquired right-handers Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman.McCanns playing time diminished in the second half of the season as rookie Gary Sanchez emerged as a power hitter behind the plate. Sanchez hit 20 home runs in just 53 games.OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics are staying put under new leadership and determined to find the right location for an intimate new ballpark that brings together the community with a great vibe for fans. One that will be privately funded and, in time, increase revenue and improve the on-field product.Committed new team President Dave Kaval just pulled off something similar in his other job: Building the San Jose Earthquakes second-year, state-of-the art Avaya Stadium, which just so happens to boast the largest outdoor bar in North America.Lew Wolff is selling all but a small stake in the As and giving up his managing partner role, turning it over to John Fisher. Wolff will become chairman emeritus and Fisher the managing partner. In addition, prior team President Michael Crowley is stepping away from day-to-day operations after nearly 20 years in the role.CHICAGO -- Commissioner Rob Manfred says baseball wants to study high-profile positions within the sport to see if certain qualifications predict success, a step that has everything to do with minority hiring.Baseball currently had no Latino managers before Rick Renteria took over the Chicago White Sox last month. Dusty Baker of the Washington Nationals and Dave Roberts from the Los Angeles Dodgers are the only black skippers among the leagues 30 teams.But there were 10 minority managers as recently as 2009.NFLCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton threw for 192 yards and a touchdown and the Carolina Panthers held off New Orleans fourth- quarter rally to beat the Saints 23-20 in a game marred by injuries to key players.Newton was 14 of 33 and threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. to help the Panthers (4-6) win for third time in three games and pull even with the Saints for third place in the NFC South.Jonathan Stewart also ran for a touchdown and Graham Gano had three field goals.However, the Panthers lost former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly (concussion), two-time All-Pro center Ryan Kalil (shoulder), defensive end Mario Addison (foot) and cornerback Leonard Johnson (chest) to injuries. Kuechly left the field on a cart while tears streamed down his face.The Saints lost running back Mark Ingram to a concussion in the third quarter.BOSTON -- Doctors who decide whether an NFL player is healthy enough to go into the game shouldnt be paid by the teams that have a stake in winning and losing -- an undeniable conflict of interest.Thats what a report released by Harvard University experts in medicine, law and ethics says.The study by the NFL Players Association-funded Football Players Health Study also recommends a short-term injured reserve for athletes recovering from a concussion, much like the system that baseball adopted five years ago.The 500-page report includes 76 recommendations addressed to 20 NFL stakeholders -- everyone from players and teams to equipment manufacturers and government regulators. The biggest message: Player safety will never be the top priority as long as those involved have competing calls on their loyalty.COLLEGE FOOTBALLHOUSTON -- Duke Catalon scored three touchdowns and Houston hurried and harassed Heisman favorite Lamar Jackson all night to propel the Cougars to a stunning 36-10 victory that dashed the third-ranked Cardinals playoff hopes.Louisville (9-2) entered the game ranked fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings, but was outdone by a Houston team that saw its own playoff hopes foiled by two losses to unranked teams after a 5-0 start.The Cardinals were unhappy they werent ranked higher in this weeks CFP rankings after losses by several top teams last week, and some players thought they let that angst affect their play.BASKETBALLOKLAHOMA CITY -- For decades, basketball players have dreamed of being like Mike.Thunder guard Russell Westbrook really is like Mike.So says Mike himself.Basketball great Michael Jordan inducted Westbrook into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Thursday night and heaped high praise on Westbrook, one of the most visible and accomplished Jordan Brand athletes.Westbrook is a two-time All-Star MVP and was the 2014-15 scoring champion. Last season, he posted 18 triple-doubles. This season, he has three triple-doubles and is averaging a Jordan-esque 31.8 points per game.HOCKEYVANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Coyotes forward Brad Richardson was carted off the ice on a stretcher in the second period of Arizonas 3-2 overtime loss at Vancouver and taken to a hospital.Richardson injured his right leg on an innocent-looking hit from Canucks defenseman Nikita Tryamkin with 8:37 left in the second period. The 31-year-old Richardson crumpled to the ice and threw his gloves off in agony under the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Tryamkin.Medical staffs from both teams attended to Richardson by the boards in the Canucks zone for several minutes before loading him onto a stretcher. Cheap MLB Jerseys Nike 2020 . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Clearance MLB Jerseys . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. MLB Jerseys Outlet . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.Congratulations to the following officials that have been selected by the National Hockey League to work the 2012-13 Stanley Cup Final series between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins: Referees: Wes McCauley, Dan OHalloran , Chris Rooney, Brad Watson Linesmen: Shane Heyer, Brian Murphy, Pierre Racicot, Jay Sharrers The majority of players from both teams and the game officials are no strangers to the excitement and pressures that surround a Cup Final. They have been there before and know what it takes to succeed. One notable exception is referee Wes McCauley, who will appear in the Final for the first time. Inclusion as a member of the Final Four referees and linesmen is a huge accomplishment. Being selected is certainly the pinnacle of every officials career and a signal to the hockey world that they are regarded as the best of the best. Referee McCauley has had a terrific playoff run by my ratings and certainly deserves his place at the top. His uncanny feel for the game (almost a lost art) allowed for the expected playoff intensity to flourish in each game he called. Most importantly, McCauley demonstrated the courage and good judgment to make the tough call at any point in the game regardless of the score or time. He did not put his whistle away! Wes McCauley is about to enter uncharted waters. The stakes are higher and the focus of the hockey world intensifies in this final round. I remember it well. No one gets to this level of proficiency without the assistance of coworkers and mentors. The night prior to my first Stanley Cup Final game, I had the good fortune of dining with the best mentor I could have hoped for. John McCauley, then Director of Officiating (Wes McCauleys father) prepared me for what to expect and instilled in me the confidence I needed to succeed. John McCauley had been a well respected referee in the NHL until his career was cut short from a sucker-punch in the eye by a drunken hockey fan from Kapuskaing, Ontario. The blow was delivered after the Soviet National Team had trounced a collection of NHL All-Stars in the third and final game of the 1979 Challenge Cup at Madison Square Garden. The Master (as John was affectionately called) was a very good communicator, was blessed with a very quick wit and terrific judgment that served him well as both a referee and following his eye injury as Director of Officiating. One time in the Boston Garden, Wayne Cashman was upset at one of McCauleys calls and told the Master he was going to shoot a puck at the refs head. John didnt bat an eye and told Cashman if that was the case he would just skate over and stand in the opponents net. From that location he wouuld be safest guy in the building if Cash was aiming for him! It was a hot and sunny afternoon in May, 1985, when I arrived in Philadelphia prior to Game 2 of the Cup Final between the Flyers and the Edmonton Oilers.dddddddddddd It was just my third season to have participated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and a selection to the Final could have very easily overwhelmed me. I checked into the Hershey Hotel on Broad Street that was designated as the NHL headquarters and media hotel. The lobby was bustling with activity and swarming with members of the media; the likes of which I had never experienced. As I looked for an escape route from the lobby mob scene I was approached by my boss, John McCauley, who invited me to join him for an early dinner. Looking back on it now I believe it wasnt just by chance, but more by design, that I bumped into the Master and was invited to dinner. John wanted to make sure that I got off on the right foot by preparing me for this new experience. He truly cared about his staff; each and every one of us and was the kind of boss you would go through the wall for. After we ordered dinner, John asked me how I was feeling. I confessed to being a little nervous (understatement) but was excited about the opportunity he had given me. What John McCauley shared with me in that moment is what he would also tell his eldest son Wes if John had not passed away at just 45 years of age following the 1989 Stanley Cup Final. I now pass along the Masters words of wisdom from that conversation to Wes McCauley as he too prepares for his first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. "You earned the right to be here (selection to Stanley Cup Final) based on your work throughout these playoffs. I assigned you to some very tough games and you passed the test with flying colors. You have proven to me that I can put you in any situation and you will neither disappoint nor let me down. Your work made the games better. I have the utmost confidence in your ability. That confidence is being rewarded with your first selection to the Stanley Cup Final. While I know there will be many more Cup Finals in your future, take this one game at a time. Prepare yourself and officiate no differently than you have in all the other games I have assigned you to. Enjoy the moment and have fun with it. I trust in your ability and most of all I believe in you!" I have no doubt that referee Wes McCauley will do a great job in his first trip to the Stanley Cup Final. If he listens closely in his heart, I would also bet that he will hear his father whisper the same words of wisdom and vote of confidence that the Master offered me. ' ' '